Getting Started in Health Research

by Bowers, David; House, Allan; Owens, David

• ISBN13: 9781405191487
• ISBN10: 1405191481
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-07-12
• Publisher: BMJ Books

Summary

By the time you've read this book, you'll be ready to design your own research project Not everyone in clinical research is a scientific investigator. In fact, a large proportion of health professionals undertaking a research project are working in clinical care, as junior doctors, nurses or allied health professionals. For them a book that begins with the basics of study design and takes them through all the stages to data collection, analysis, and submission for publication is vital. Getting Started in Health Research is the answer. It provides fundamental information on: Framing the research question Performing the literature search Choosing the study design Collecting data Getting funding Recruiting participants Writing your paper Lively case studies provide a continuous narrative, addressing the pitfalls and problems that can occur. Calling upon their vast experience of teaching health research methodology, these authors have turned a seemingly daunting task into a challenging and enjoyable prospect. [Title of Related Interest] Understanding Clinical Papers, 2nd Edition David Bowers Allan House David Owens ISBN: 978-0-470-09130-2 Reviews of Understanding Clinical Papers "…an excellent basis for all who intend to write scientific texts as well as those reading, evaluating, and trying to understand the results…" From a review in Clinical Chemistry, May 2007 "What makes this book unique is that each point presented is illustrated with excerpts from actual papers, often three or four per chapter...this is a very effective teaching device." From a review in Journal of the American Medical Association, December 26, 2006 "What strikes the reader ... straight away is clarity … promises to become a recommended text for undergraduate and postgraduate courses." From a review in Journal of Tropical Pediatrics, September 2006 "This book should be an essential addition to the personal libraries of all health care workers . . . " From a review in Oncology, 2002

Author Biography

David Bowers, Medical Statistician, University of Leeds Medical School
Allan House, Professor of Liaison Psychiatry, Leeds Institute of Health Science, University of Leeds
David Owens, Senior Lecturer in Psychiatry, Leeds Institute of Health Science, University of Leeds

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Limbering Up
Turning Your General Aim Into a Specific Question	p. 3
Taking a Preliminary Look at What Has Already Been Done	p. 9
On Your Marks
Coming Up With an Initial Plan of Action	p. 21
Carrying Out a Systematic Search	p. 26
Building a Team	p. 34
Get Set
Choosing the Best Study Design	p. 43
Selecting Samples for Quantitative Research	p. 47
Selecting Samples for Qualitative Research	p. 56
Wait For It
Deciding What Information to Collect	p. 63
Tackling Confounders	p. 68
How Many People to Study?	p. 76
Getting Ready for a Qualitative Analysis	p. 82
Getting Ready for a Quantitative Analysis	p. 85
Writing Your Final Protocol	p. 89
Arranging Funding	p. 94
Getting Permission to Go Ahead	p. 100
Go!
Recruiting the Participants	p. 113
Collecting and Recording the Data	p. 119
Living With (and Without) the Data	p. 127
Staying the Course
Taking Stock	p. 135
Making Sense of Your Results - the Quantitative Case	p. 136
Making Sense of Your Results - the Qualitative Case	p. 144
The Finishing Line
Writing a Research Paper	p. 151
Setting Out Your Findings	p. 156
Writing Your Discussion	p. 164
Writing a Thesis or Other Report	p. 168
Dealing With Journals	p. 171
Further Reading	p. 174
Index	p. 177
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.